


To Sleep in Your Shadow

by ambiguous_sanskars



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Cuddling, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Immortal Husbands Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Intensely Requited Love, M/M, Sharing a Bed, but don't be fooled there's no smut, but there's no hurt technically, handling emotions with maturity and empathy, in a hotel, like the author will learn to do someday, so yeah just comfort, vague religion mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:28:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27142457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambiguous_sanskars/pseuds/ambiguous_sanskars
Summary: “Hayati,” Nicky propped himself up on an elbow. “What’s wrong?”“Nothing,” Joe answered too quickly. “Why?”“You- you stopped drawing. Turned off the light.”“You asked, love.”“No,” Nicky insisted. “You never listen to me likethat. Where was the speech about fickle muses and inspiration striking at odd hours? Not even a grumble of protest?”
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 45
Kudos: 482





	To Sleep in Your Shadow

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back everyone! Here's a short little episode of fluff to keep everyone going during these hard times. Enjoy:)
> 
> Translations:  
> ya ruhi (Arabic) - Oh my soul

“Joe.”

No response. It had to be nearly 2AM by now.

“ _Joe_.”

Still nothing. Reluctantly, Nicky turned his head on the linen pillow and blinked his eyes open. The love of his life was sitting up, sketchbook in hand, gaze transfixed on Nicky’s face. Nicky noticed how the hotel bed lamp on Joe’s side, still on, lit up his curls like a halo. 

To Nicky’s dark-adjusted eyes, it was like looking into the sun, and he only spent a minute marveling at the irony of his artist’s ethereal beauty before groaning and covering his face with an arm.

“ _Amore_ , please,” Joe protested softly, reaching out to move his arm.

“It is too bright, Joe.”

For a moment, there was silence.

“I’m sorry,” Joe said quietly. His voice sounded far away, and Nicky quickly moved his arm to look at him. Joe was leaning away to set his sketchbook aside. He switched off the light and settled back onto his pillow.

“Better?”

“ _Hayati_ ,” Nicky propped himself up on an elbow. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Joe answered too quickly. “Why?”

“You- you stopped drawing. Turned off the light.”

“You asked, love.”

“No,” Nicky insisted. “You never listen to me like _that_. Where was the speech about fickle muses and inspiration striking at odd hours? Not even a grumble of protest?”

“You’re upset because I listened to you?” 

“Will you lie to me after all this time?”

Joe’s breath hitched, and he turned to face Nicky. Even in the dark, Nicky noticed new tears hesitating on his lashes.

“It’s really nothing. It’s stupid. You’ll laugh at me.”

“I swear on our love that I won’t. You know this, Joe. What has gotten into you?”

Joe sighed. “It’s late. You’ve been trying to go to sleep for the past two hours. Are you sure you want to have a conversation now?”

“Yes.”

“Nicky…”

Nicky cupped a hand around the back of Joe’s neck and rubbed gently. At his touch, Joe felt a traitorous tear slip free.

“You’re crying, love. How do you expect me to sleep when you are in such pain?”

“Don’t,” Joe mumbled, shaking his head. “It’s really a silly little thing. I’m not- you don’t have to worry. I’m fine.”

“Okay,” Nicky agreed. “I believe you. You’re fine. If you tell me it’s just one of _those_ nights and you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t press, okay?”

Joe took Nicky’s free hand in both of his.

“It’s just- I was sketching, right? The lighting in this hotel is all different. You turned to look at me, and something small, maybe a strand of hair, cast a sharp shadow at the corner of your eye. For a second, it looked like a scar. And I thought… I imagined, for a moment…” 

“You thought I had stopped healing.”

Joe inhaled sharply, curling into Nicky and bringing their joined hands to his lips.

“Don’t say that.”

“Joe, it is inevitable. All things-”

“Not you.”

“ _Hayati_ -”

“Please Nicky, don’t say it.”

“Okay. Okay, I won’t say anything. Look at me?”

Joe raised his watery eyes to Nicky’s. Nicky lovingly tucked a loose curl of hair behind his ear. Joe sniffled.

“Joe, my heart-”

“See, I told you it was a stupid reason. We’re on vacation, and I’m being… like this. I’m sorry.”

“Yusuf, my _everything_. Your feelings are not stupid. Your pain is not up for debate. What are you apologizing for? What hurts, hurts. It gets us nowhere to dwell on whether or not we _should_ be hurting.”

Joe tucked his face into Nicky’s neck and sighed deeply.

“So wise. You were probably a very good priest before we met.”

Nicky laughed out loud. “Quite honestly? I am much closer to God right now.”

“You blaspheme.”

“No. But the truth often sounds blasphemous.”

“Nicky?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you hold me tonight? Even after I fall asleep?”

Nicky tightened his arms around his husband, finding what little space remained between them and eliminating it. He dipped his head to kiss Joe’s curls.

“ _Ya ruhi_ , always.”

**Author's Note:**

> Okay full disclosure, it's been a wild week and this was just me projecting on Joe and going to Nicky for comfort. Apparently writing fan fiction is self-care now ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Comments and kudos appreciated as always! (but no pressure obviously <3)


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